Job Details
Job Description
Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that
you are holding the applicable contract as defined below:
- Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA)
appointments (defined as “internal” candidates)
- Tier 2: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA) and
personnel on regular PSA contracts
- Tier 3: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and
other external candidates
Background
UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels offers a spectrum of deep local
knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in its Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in
- support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in
UNDP’s Strategic Plan.
Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages; represents UNDP at
multi-stakeholder fora, including public-private, government and civil society dialogues; and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.
UNDP's 2022-2025 Strategic Plan highlighting our continued commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying countries in their pathways towards the SDGs and working towards the Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP's Nature, Climate Change,
Energy, Chemicals and Waste Hubs promote and scale up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.
BPPS’ Hubs on Nature, Climate, Energy, Chemicals and Waste works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country
programming on environment, climate change, and energy. This
multi-billion-dollar portfolio encompasses:
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services including forests.
Sustainable Land Management and Desertification including Food Systems.
Water and Ocean Governance including SIDS.
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.
Sustainable Energy.
Extractive Industries.
Chemicals and Waste Management.
Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy and SCP approaches.
This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning.
UNDP has developed its new Strategy for Food Systems to focus its vision and
- enhance its support to transform food systems.
Food Systems are fundamental to the sustainable development of the 170 countries UNDP supports. Food systems are often the largest contributor to their economies; food and nutrition is fundamental for citizen health; and food systems have a key role to play in achieving the SDGs. Yet, food systems are in
crisis and need to be radically transformed to become sustainable. UNDP,
- building on its experience, has for the first time consolidated its food systems
- support and vision into this Strategy. The challenges and need for change
related to food systems have been highlighted by a suite of reports by many
- research and international organizations and think tanks. The production
practices and consumption patterns of food and agricultural commodities are taking these systems on an unsustainable trajectory with multiple impacts on human development, the environment, and economies; from ecosystem degradation, conflicts over land and natural resources, reduced capacity and resilience to
climate and other shocks, persistent poverty, food insecurity and related people displacement and migration, to malnutrition including overweight and obesity. There is a clear need to work in a systemic and integrated manner to transform the food system towards sustainability.
UNDP´s Vision for Food Systems 2030 is, through partnerships, to transform food and agricultural commodity systems into resilient; equitable; healthy, inclusive; environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable systems. Working on food systems will contribute to not only recovery from the COVID19
crisis, by creating sustainable and resilient livelihoods for many along the food and agriculture supply chains, but also to preventing further zoonoses from emerging in the future. This will require a change in the current paradigm of agricultural production focusing on maximizing productivity to a new paradigm
based on diversified agroecological systems which work simultaneously on achieving economic, environmental, social, and health outcomes, with smallholders as a key part of the solution in their role as the engine of economic development. A Food Systems practice has been established within UNDP’s Nature Hub, which is tasked to support UNDP Country Offices with food systems
related challenges in a way that is aligned with UNDP’s Food Systems strategy.
As part of its work on systems change, the Food Systems practice has developed the “Conscious Food Systems Alliance” (CoFSA), a movement of food, agriculture, and consciousness practitioners, convened by UNDP, and united around a common goal: to support people from across food and agriculture systems to cultivate
the inner capacities that activate systemic change and regeneration. CoFSA champions the integration of consciousness-based approaches—such as mindfulness, compassion, Nature connection, non-violent communication, and self-reflection—into food systems work. These practices help build the mindsets, values and skills needed for lasting change: presence, empathy, resilience,
creativity, and deep connection. COFSA was officially launched in late 2022 and have built a vibrant community of over six hundred members, advancing thought
- leadership and practical interventions on the ground.
UNDP Food Systems seeks a CoFSA Programme Coordinator to lead the coordination of the CoFSA initiative, as well as to support the development of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization activities and the development of CoFSA operations and Strategic initiatives, as per the scope of work.
Duties and Responsibilities
Coordination of CoFSA initiative:
- Ensure effective coordination of the CoFSA initiative and workplan focusing
on quality assurance and risk management from formulation to implementation of activities.
- Contribute to planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of the
assigned programme areas, and with the support of the operations team track use of financial resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations
- Support management of team contractual arrangements and support procurement
- processes, including drafting TORs, participate in assessment processes,
- participate in interview panels etc., in collaboration with the operations
team.
- Oversee the preparation and aggregation of reports on activities, outputs and
outcomes, including donor and corporate reports.
- Participate in UNDP Food Systems Team activities, such as monthly team
meetings, annual retreat, and specific workstreams, as needed.
- Contribute to other project management tasks and support project team
members, as and when needed.
Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization:
- Collaborate in the creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of
the resource mobilization strategy.
- Identify and support building and nurturing of partnerships with key partners
for CoFSA, based on CoFSA strategic priorities, including civil society organisations (CSOs), UN agencies, international financial institutions (IFIs), government institutions, donors, and private sector.
- Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on
possible areas of cooperation, identify opportunities for initiation of new joint activities, develop proposals and substantively contribute to UNDP Food Systems Team resource mobilization efforts.
- Support CoFSA Governance mechanisms, with strategic thinking, as well as
preparing and reporting on ‘Inner Council’ meetings and other governance related activities.
Contribute to the development of CoFSA operations and Strategic initiatives:
- Contribute with technical advisory to development of key CoFSA workstreams,
tasks and products, and actively build and update the Service Offer and integration into UNDP Food Systems Service Offer.
- Contribute to the development of strategic projects and products, through
concepts design, presentations, and managing internal UNDP operational
- processes.
- Contribute to the integration of CoFSA in UNDP Global, Regional, and Country
activities, in coordination with UNDP Food Systems Team, with Pillar A – Innovation.
- Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy
relevant to the assigned thematic areas.
- Identify capacity building needs and opportunities. Ensure appropriate
- training, programme workshops and other relevant activities are organized and
- implemented in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and
stakeholders.
- Ensure programme reports capture results, lessons learned and good practices
for possible wider application.
- Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and
communities of practice on development and programme related issues. Support
- establishment of knowledge platforms for the programme, facilitate innovative
mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the programme, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to
- support UNDP’s engagement in this area.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization
Institutional Arrangement
- The incumbent will work remotely from his/ her home-base.
- The incumbent will be supervised by the CoFSA Technical Advisor.
- The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for
execution of the tasks under this assignment.
- The incumbent will be responsible for providing their own workstation (i.e.
laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to a reliable internet connection.
- Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the
incumbent is expected to be reasonably flexible with their availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.
Competencies
Core Achieve Results LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives
for multiple projects, have lasting impact Think Innovatively LEVEL 3:
Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems Learn Continuously LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences Adapt with Agility LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands Act with Determination LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to
achieve greater results Engage and Partner LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration Enable Diversity and Inclusion LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Thematic Area Name Definition Business Management Project Management
- Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and
protocols to achieve specific goals.
Business Management Partnerships Management
- Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders,
Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
Business Management Communication
- Communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written
and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
- Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media,
social media, and other appropriate channels.
Business Management Resource Management
- Allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with
business needs and priorities and principles of accountability and integrity
Business Management Monitoring & Evaluation
- Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and
activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
- Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of
strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to
anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns
Digital Systems thinking & transformation
- Understand that complex problems need a non-reductionistic, holistic
approach.
- Ability to explore challenges from multiple perspectives by zooming in and
out with a focus on relationship and flows rather than individual elements; understand how certain dynamics and conditions are driving and influencing and issue.
- Ability to develop a collective understanding by a mapping system and their
dynamics (e.g. flows or resources, information; power relations); is able to
- handle ambiguity and can help others navigate it.
- Being able to identify intervention points to leverage change and system
transformation by setting out a coherent collection of multiple interventions to probe the system for desirable effects.
- Understand that change is non-linear and unpredictable; being comfortable and
able to work with emergence.
Business Direction and Strategy System Thinking
- Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how
interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International
- Development, Management or Business Administration, Food and Agriculture, or
other related discipline is required, or
- A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the any field
mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying
experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the master’s degree.:
Experience:
- Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of
relevant experience in the field of international development, project
- management and/or business administration.
Required Skills:
- Experience coordinating projects/initiatives including support budgetary
aspects of work planning process and management of team budgets.
- Expertise in food and agriculture.
- Experience in inner development and its role in sustainability and/or systems
change.
Desired Skills:
- Experience in Resource Mobilization.
- Experience in partnerships with a wide range of public and private partners.
- Experience in working with donor’s proposals and reporting.
Languages:
- Fluency in the English language is required.
- Fluency in Spanish and/or French is an advantage.
Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for
the role, without discrimination.
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
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